


Tomorrow's Just Another Day

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-18
Updated: 2009-02-18
Packaged: 2019-02-02 06:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12721131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: Dante hunts for his child. Calamity lurks round every corner! Evil abounds!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).

I gripped the spear projecting from my thigh. I didn't want to pull it out in case it caused more damage. The inhabitants of this world were somewhat keen on experimental spear design. But it hurt, it really, really hurt. I hate getting spears stuck in my leg. That probably goes without saying. I hate getting spears stuck anywhere. I thought that if I could hold it with both hands, and steady it, it would hurt less as I limped towards the Stargate. The only problem was that I wouldn't be able to get to the Stargate unless they stopped looking for me. 

My day had gone from bad to worse. I was tired, and so was my Tok'ra symbiote Sarrazan. We'd been exploring planets solidly for the past few weeks. To start with we'd taken things slowly, rested occasionally, done things at home. Now we were desperate to find Nephthys and the Harseisis that she was pregnant with. Our nine months were nearly up. If Apophis came for her and the child fell into his hands, well, it wouldn't be a good thing. That's an understatement. And now I had a spear stuck in my leg, for crying out loud. 

Blood trickled down my leg. It seemed to be congealing all over my clothes. My hands were sticking to the shaft. If I ever got out of this I'd have some explaining to do to my dry cleaner. Trying to ignore the spear inconvenience, I paused, listening for sounds of my pursuers. There were none. Part of me wondered whether that was a good thing, or whether they were lying in wait for me round the next big shrub. They certainly hadn't been pleased to see me. It was probably because I appeared to be a Goa'uld, in which case I could understand their reaction. The Goa'uld were nasty pieces of work. And I had been asking for a woman, which sounded like the normal evil Goa'uld slave taking thing. 

The main problem was that I actually LOOKED like a Goa'uld. As Sarrazan and I had started to run out of time, we'd adapted various things that we'd found in Seth's armoury. We'd thrown caution to the wind. So I looked like a Goa'uld, but I was practically dressed. That sort of thing. Seth's armoury, the location of which was buried in my subconscious due to my short time as Seth's servant's host, was an interesting place. I'd catalogue it if I ever got the chance at a peaceful life. There's something therapeutic about ordering everything, writing neat little paragraphs onto reference cards. Maybe that was just the archaeologist in me. I have a feeling it's not normal. 

Anyway, the armoury contained various things that we'd made use of. I was wearing what could be described as a breastplate, but unfortunately I wasn't wearing anything to protect my limbs. I also had a Ribbon Device, which was good for exploding things to take peoples minds off of chasing me. Exploding trees and things, obviously, not people. That wouldn't be very considerate. I'm sure some birds thought that me exploding their tree wasn't considerate, but there are other trees. 

Then I heard something in the bushes. It could have been an animal, but I wasn't taking any chances. I activated my helmet. From a pectoral necklace, metal seemingly flowed up and over my head. It formed a rather funky black and gold Setesh helmet. I could cope with the spear wound. I'd get home, get it out of my leg, and Sarrazan would help heal it in double quick time. But if my head got damaged too severely, that might be a problem. I was willing to look like an aardvark if it meant my head stayed in one piece. 

It had taken some time to get used to the helmet. Although initially it seemed that you were hindering your senses, the helmet had some excellent gadgets installed. For starters, you could use it in the dark and your vision was just as good as it was in the daytime. And it amplified your hearing. I suppose it all made you seem more omniscient, though it was technology rather than supernatural powers. 

Looking increasingly bizarre, I started limping towards the Stargate. I steadied the spear, wincing as the spearhead grazed against some bone. Sarrazan took over, pumping something through me that made me feel more energetic. The pain eased. I could see the Stargate now, looking in the distance. What with it being on a hill, it was going to be difficult to get there without being seen. At least I wouldn't have to be there long, just long enough to dial an address and jump through the rippling portal. 

I made it up the hill. It was too quiet. They had to be waiting to spring something on me. I took my right hand off of the shaft and prepared to dial the 'gate. Then I noticed the people surrounding the hill and advancing, slowly, menacingly. It wasn't a big surprise. Before I managed to dial the first glyph, I was hit in the back by a big rock. I steadied myself on the DHD, trying not to fall over, but then the second rock hit. 

I knew I had to dial otherwise I'd be stoned to death, but it's hard to do anything when it's raining rocks. It might have been okay, but one of the rocks hit me on the head, and I fell to the ground. The spear went straight through my leg. I gasped as I felt the bone give way. There was no way I'd be able to heal this myself even if I DID get through the 'gate. I had no way to extract bits of spear, even if Sarrazan had the power to regenerate my body. 

Sarrazan tried to get me moving. He took over again, and somehow we got to our feet and dialled the 'gate. He activated the radio in the Setesh helmet, and sent a signal though the 'gate. It was our SOS, for what it was worth. I just hoped someone was listening. And so did he. 

We managed to get to the Stargate and we jumped through. A plethora of rocks jumped through too. I hoped they didn't land on me when we got to the other side. And then we were safe. Arriving, I fell flat on my face. Sarrazan stopped pumping me with drugs, and I couldn't move. It hurt. And landing on the spear again hadn't helped matters. I was well and truly kebabed. I groaned. I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dante? Dante?" 

I heard the voice vaguely, somewhere out there. It was incongruous. 

"Sarrazan?" 

A different voice this time. My eyes opened. 

"Sarrazan?" the voice said again. 

Part of me recognised the speaker. It was Colonel Jack O'Neill. Part of me was nervous. I didn't want to have to deal with the people of Earth. Things were so complicated. And then part of me felt guilty for not wanting to talk to them. They were supposed to be my friends. 

"Colonel O'Neill," said Sarrazan. "You have cared for the leg." 

"Yes, we did do that," said O'Neill. 

"I have to go now," said Sarrazan, feebly trying to push my weakened body off of the bed. 

"I don't think you should go anywhere for a while," said Dr Fraiser. 

It had been Janet's voice that I'd heard first of all. The incongruous voice. The person who I still had such strange feelings for - feelings that were pleasant after all the chaos in my life lately. But I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't know what to say to anyone. 

It had been a long time since I'd actually talked to someone properly, since I'd discussed pointless things for no apparent reason. It's been suggested that pointless chatter took over from physical grooming when humans evolved. Whatever the reason for it, it made people more comfortable than they could ever realise. When you lose the privilege you realise how much it means. 

"We must leave, we have work to do. Thank you for your help," said Sarrazan. 

He managed to sit up. Teal'c moved closer. I realised that the whole of SG-1 were with Janet. It was almost like old times. 

"You've been pushing Dante's body too hard," said Dr Fraiser. "His bones are incredibly fragile. They shouldn't have broken like they did." 

"You are a Tok'ra," said Teal'c. "You do not have the benefit of a sarcophagus." 

"I am aware of what I am," said Sarrazan, stiffly. "I am also an outcast among my people. I am shunned by the good side, and hunted by the bad!" 

"You could have stayed here," said Jackson. 

"If I had stayed, the Tok'ra would have objected. My first duty is to find the Harseisis. Only then can I retire." 

"What happens if you kill Dante first?" said O'Neill. "Hey, here's an idea, how about we ask him what HE thinks about all this?" 

"If you think I am suppressing him because I fear his opinion, you're wrong," said Sarrazan. "But I don't think you really want to talk to him." 

"Why?" said Carter. 

"He is very sad," said Sarrazan, as if that explained everything. 

Then I bowed my head. There was no real reason to do it, it was just what the Tok'ra did so as not to confuse people when they changed speakers. He pushed me forward, and I was afraid. Tears actually started to form. I couldn't speak. 

"Dante?" said Janet, softly. 

I tried to smile at her. She took my hand and stroked it gently. 

"I'm sorry," I said. 

"For what?" said O'Neill. 

"I have to leave," I said. 

"What IS it with you today?" snapped O'Neill. "Where do you think you're going to go? Back to the planet with the weird spears and huge rocks?" 

"I'm running out of time," I said. "I'm already a huge failure, if I don't find Nephthys within the next few days I might as well curl up and die." 

They were slightly taken aback that I was suddenly managing to say several words in an orderly fashion. 

"It's not like I have anything left to live for. I thought I had life all worked out. I didn't think there were aliens. I thought the odds were so amazingly against life that there had to be an intelligence out there that had created it all. And now I discover there ARE aliens, does that mean there's not an intelligence? And does that mean everything's meaningless? 

"It's alright for you lot, travelling to other planets but coming home to your comfy beds and stereos and processed food. And computers! Do you know how much I miss computers? And television. I never realised how much television meant to me. And that's another thing. Even if I HAD television I wouldn't have anyone to talk to it about. The only people on the planet where I was staying seem to think I'm a god. Even if I went somewhere else I'd end up healing someone or I'd blow something up and they'd start worshipping me. 

"For the first time in my life I'm completely alone. I thought I'd been alone before, but I hadn't really. There have always been other people around who did the same things as me. They watched TV, they went to supermarkets. But now I'm stuck travelling from planet to planet, looking for the only woman I might actually have a chance at a proper relationship with, and she's carrying a child one of the strongest System Lords wants to get hold of! 

"Maybe I'm letting Sarrazan push my body too hard because dying would be a release." 

There was silence. I didn't often rant like that, but when I ranted I tended to let everything out. 

"I will help you, Dante," said Teal'c. 

"Yeah, we'll help ya," said O'Neill.


	3. Chapter 3

Teal'c and Sarrazan worked out where we should try next. Sarrazan could remember things better than I could. We'd visited all the planets we knew of that Apophis visited to harvest humans, but we'd run out of ideas. The planet had to be one with Egyptian descendants, since that was what Nephthys ' host was. Teal'c knew of only one more possible world, which seemed too good to be true. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a catch. 

My body felt stronger, even though we hadn't rested long. The Tok'ra really had a way with healing, but even they had limits. I wasn't going to last much longer. I needed rest or I'd die. Not that I really cared anymore. This planet was my last chance in more ways that one. 

I stepped out of the Stargate and winced. After the dim interior of the SGC the sun was painful. Fumbling in my pocket, I took out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up. The members of SG-1 looked at me. 

"Since when did you start smoking?" asked O'Neill. 

"Since now," I said. 

I breathed smoke deep into my lungs before blowing it out of my nose. 

"Does Sarrazan mind? It IS bad for your health," said Carter. 

"And ours," muttered Jackson. 

"It's my body," I said. "Besides, he can heal cancers, I don't see what the big deal is." 

"Okaay," said Jackson, in that way he had of making you know he didn't agree with what you were doing. 

Sarrazan took over. I was perfectly happy for him to take control of me all the time if he wanted to. Part of me thought it would be nice if the Tok'ra let us return once we'd found the child. Sarrazan could take his rightful place amongst his people, and I could hide in my own body and never have to make another decision as long as I lived. 

"We should continue," said Sarrazan. 

As we walked, he surprised them all by continuing to smoke my cigarette. I'd swapped some of my belongings with one of the airmen. One thing airmen tended to have in abundance was cigarettes. 

"Hey, Sarrazan," said O'Neill. "Mind telling us what your motives are here?" 

"We find the child," said Sarrazan. 

"But then what?" said Jackson. 

Sarrazan inhaled some of the cigarette smoke, apparently savouring it, and causing SG-1 to become impatient. 

"Sarrazan." said O'Neill, managing to make his name sound like a threat. 

"What do you want to hear? Do you want me to say we will kill the child?" 

"Er, no," said Jackson. 

"Are you going to return it to the Tok'ra? Or hide it on a planet somewhere?" asked Carter. 

"Or do you plan to use the child as your own new host?" asked Teal'c. 

Sarrazan glared at Teal'c. Teal'c met my eyes and refused to look away. 

"I am not your enemy," said Sarrazan. "I would be honoured if you would take the child and hide him on Earth." 

"You're not expecting to come back from this, are ya?" said O'Neill, quietly. 

"Perhaps," said Sarrazan. 

"What about Nephthys?" said Jackson. 

"Part of me doubts that she could ever be what Dante wants her to be." 

"Ah," said Jackson. 

And Sarrazan was right. Even I was beginning to doubt Nephthys could ever be anything other than an evil Goa'uld. This was partly what was making me act so irrationally. If I met her and my doubts were confirmed, what would I do? Would I have to kill her? And would I end up killing the child too, to prevent it falling into the enemy's hands? 

If I had to kill them, it would only be a short step to killing myself.


	4. Chapter 4

I think SG-1 were beginning to wonder why they'd said they would help. The Tok'ra probably wouldn't like it if they knew, and even if I was willing to throw my life away, they had things to live for. I thought I should probably try and pull myself together. There was still a chance things might work out. Maybe we'd find Nephthys in time, she'd have the baby, she'd give the host a chance, and we'd whisk the baby away to somewhere where Apophis would never find it. Or any other System Lord, for that matter. 

We stood looking down into a valley. There was a town there, next to a river. The planet seemed to be mostly desert, so it made sense that the settlements were going to be near rivers. This was the nearest settlement to the Stargate, which made it a good candidate for "number one lived in place for people kidnapped by the Goa'uld". 

It wasn't a huge place, but there were quite a few mud-brick houses, and a larger place too. It was a sort of mansion compared to the other buildings - it even had a walled garden with a fancy irrigation system. 

Sarrazan threw the cigarette onto the floor and ground it into the dirt. It was time for me to go down there and face my destiny. 

"Just treat it like a normal mission, folks," said O'Neill. 

"What, so we are seduced by the inhabitants? Or locked into tiny cages? Or get involved in war on a planetary scale?" asked Jackson. 

"Yeah, Daniel," said O'Neill, in his best sarcastic tone of voice. 

Daniel should know better than to be sarcastic towards the most sarcastic person (excluding myself) that I'd ever had the pleasure to meet. I really had missed these guys. 

"Let's go," said Sarrazan. 

"Time's a wasting," said O'Neill. 

And so we walked down the slope, into the town. A couple of women were filling buckets with water as we approached. They tried to cover their faces as we approached. It looked like this was another world where Carter could get stuck into liberating the women. The problem was that lots of women didn't actually want things to change. The universe is a strange place. 

"We've come a long way, is there someone in charge we can talk to?" asked Jackson. 

The women didn't speak. They were both in their twenties, from what I could see. Admittedly, that wasn't much. One of them looked at the floor, trying to ignore us. The other one stared at me. I realised that I probably looked quite scary. I mean, I was dressed in black Goa'uld armour, with a black top and trousers, black boots, black cloak, and the gold and black pectoral for my helmet. It was all a bit dusty and grimy, but it was unmistakably consistently black. Not only that, but I needed a shave, and my hair was getting quite long. The most appropriate describing word would probably be "dishevelled". 

The one who was staring at me slowly turned and started walking. 

"I think she wants us to follow her," said Jackson. 

"Ya think?" said O'Neill. 

We walked through the narrow streets. The place seemed bigger than it had looked from the hilltop. Eventually we arrived at the larger house. Our escort knocked on the wooden door, and someone opened it. Water carriers were welcome - apparently we'd picked the right person to ask for directions. 

Inside we could see the garden. Its greenness was even more striking when the countryside around it was so barren and sandy. Walking in the garden was a man about the same age as me. He was watching us. 

"What do you want?" he asked. 

"We need to know if you have a pregnant woman here. A woman who was taken and then returned," said Jackson. 

I was glad Daniel was here to do all the talking. He was used to it after all his jaunts through the Stargate. Somehow he'd turned into a diplomat. He was much better at it than I'd ever be. And I don't think Sarrazan had ever been voted "best Tok'ra diplomat" either, if that's not a contradiction in terms. From what I could gather he'd been some sort of black-ops person. It obviously hadn't been enough to prevent them shunning him now. He was probably supposed to have died on one of those crazy Tok'ra suicide missions. 

"Have you come for her?" the man asked. 

I realised that he was looking at me. Sarrazan made me take over. Perhaps he thought I could better explain all this Goa'uld stuff from a human point of view. 

"I've come to keep her safe," I said. 

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" said the man. "You are one of them, you have come to take her away from us, and the child too. She has told us of the evil of your race." 

I sighed inwardly. I wondered what the host had told them. I wondered how well the host understood her predicament. I wondered if Nephthys had let the host have control of her own body before she was forced to become dormant. I wondered a lot of things. 

"If she doesn't wish to come I won't force her," I said. "But the child is dangerous to you and your people. And the person who took her WILL return for her." 

"You fight the Snake?" asked the man. 

I heard Colonel O'Neill mutter something about Snake and Kurt Russell, but I tried to ignore it. I needed to figure out how to resolve this situation, and it was made doubly hard by the fact I didn't know what I wanted. Jack's film comments weren't exactly what I needed to hear. 

"We fight the Snake, Apophis," I said. "We fight all of the Goa'uld." 

"If you are truly enemies, perhaps I now have something with which I can bargain for her life." 

I was beginning to suspect that this was a trap.


	5. Chapter 5

So this was where it was going to end. Either they'd kill me, or they'd give me back to Apophis and he'd torture me. Again. 

Grimly I activated my Setesh helmet and waited for someone to attack me. 

Then I realised that no-one seemed to be attacking. 

"You are the one," said the man. 

"The one what?" said O'Neill. 

"She told us that one might come, one who wore the helmet of Seth, but was not Seth. You are the only one she is willing to speak to. She seems to think you might be able to help us." 

My heart leapt. Perhaps if the host was willing to speak to me then Nephthys had decided to try and be more like the Tok'ra. She'd had a little time before the pregnancy meant she'd had to be dormant anyway. 

"If you hurt her, I will kill you," said the man. 

I deactivated the helmet. 

"I won't hurt her," I said, quietly. 

Deep down I wondered whether I should promise not to hurt someone who might potentially be an evil Goa'uld. Last time I'd met her she'd seduced me, and I hadn't been completely sane. I seem to spend my time being sane for a while and then either being completely mad or being just a little out of it. It looked like I was heading towards the suicidal sort of madness at the moment, but I had some time to redeem myself before I took the final step. 

The man led me to a darkened room, where the woman I loved lay upon a bed. She was heavily pregnant. It looked like I'd found her just in time. 

SG-1 had to stay behind and be entertained. I was alone, apart from Sarrazan and the woman. I realised that I didn't know who I was meeting with. I'd never actually talked to the host before, just the Goa'uld who'd taken her over. 

She turned her head towards me. 

"Dante?" she said. 

"Yes," I answered, kneeling by her bedside. 

"You came," she said. 

"Yes," I said. 

"I am Merwen," she said. 

"Are you okay, Merwen?" I asked. 

I was aware that that was a stupid thing to ask, but there were so many things I needed to know. 

"You know you said Nephthys had a choice? That she could share my body?" 

I nodded, slowly, wondering what she was going to say next. 

"Well, do I have a choice too?" 

Sadness. She didn't want to live with a symbiote. I couldn't say I blamed her. I hadn't wanted to live with a symbiote either. 

"Of course you do," I said. 

I'd said that, but I wasn't sure how it would all work out if the Tok'ra weren't willing to co-operate with me. There was no way I could extract a Goa'uld unless the Tok'ra would co-operate. The people at the SGC couldn't do it either. Maybe Nephthys would be willing to take a new host and leave Merwen, if that was what Merwen wanted. 

"You must take the demon from inside me. And the child too. Take the child. I fear the monster that grows inside of me," she said. 

"Merwen." I said, gently taking her hand. 

She snatched her hand away from me. 

"You are the one who did this to me!" she shouted. 

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll take the child, whatever you want." 

"I hate you!" she shouted. 

"I hate myself," I said under my breath. 

"Guards!" she shouted. 

And the guards came. 

They were hardly necessary. 

I would have left without them.


	6. Chapter 6

They escorted me back to the meeting room, where I re-joined SG-1. 

"She's a princess," said Jackson. "Apophis stole their princess." 

"And boy, that guy isn't happy about us turning up," said O'Neill. 

"There's no reason he should be," I said. "This is a giant mess. And I made it." 

I sat down, and vigorously rubbed my face with my hands. Carter moved closer, and rested her hand on my shoulder. 

"I think she believes I can help her, but she doesn't want me to help in the way I hoped she would," I said. 

I reached into my pocket and took out another cigarette. 

"She wishes for the removal of the Goa'uld," said Teal'c. 

"Yeah," I said, lighting up and breathing deep. "But on the plus side, I don't think she'd mind if we took the "devil child" away with us." 

"Dante, I'm so sorry," said Carter. 

"Hey, you were right all along," I said. 

"Not necessarily," said Jackson. 

Carter and O'Neill looked at him. 

"What I mean is, er, we don't know for sure that Nephthys is evil. All we know is that the host." 

"Merwen," I said. 

"Right, Merwen, doesn't want to be a host." 

"And you know what? I know how that feels. And so does Sam," I snapped. "Don't try to make things better here. I'm not under any illusions. We could say that Nephthys didn't have a choice when she took Merwen as a host. If she didn't take a host she would have died, right? She had to leap into a human. That's why Jolinar did what she did, after all. What do you think about that argument, Daniel? Could you have forgiven Amonet for taking Sha're as a host?" 

Jackson studiously studied his feet. 

"I really picked the wrong alien to love, didn't I," I muttered. 

It was then that a woman stepped out of the shadows. She drew her shawl down so that we could see her face. It was the woman who'd shown us the way. 

"Khafra does not look after his guests," she said. "He fears the demon inside you. And he fears what the demon inside his sister will do when it awakens." 

"But you don't?" I asked. 

"No," she said, taking my chin in her hand and gently stroking the stubble. 

I stubbed the cigarette out on my leg, almost without thinking. 

"Why?" I asked. 

"I saw you coming," she said. 

"Yeah, we know," said O'Neill. 

"No, you do not know," she said. 

Even if I didn't know where this was going, Sarrazan did. 

"You have the sight," he said. 

"So. You have the sight," said O'Neill. 

"Yes," she replied. 

It was clear that O'Neill had no inkling of what that could mean. Admittedly, I didn't really know either. All I knew was that we seemed to have a new ally. 

"What is your name?" asked Sarrazan. 

"Tea," she said. 

That's pronounced Tee-uh, in case you were wondering. 

"She sees the future?" asked O'Neill. 

"Yes," said Sarrazan. 

"Let me see the demon within this human husk," she said. 

The others looked on, slightly unsure as to what to do. She pushed my floppy hair out of my eyes, and placed her hands on either side of my face. Then she looked into my eyes. Sarrazan made them glow, and for a moment she seemed to be almost hypnotised. 

"I see what I must do," she said. 

"You do?" said O'Neill. 

I felt her power as she held me there. I didn't know what it was, but my recent journeys had left me pretty open-minded. Her gaze made me focus only on her. I couldn't feel my legs, or my arms. I didn't know where I was anymore, and I didn't care. 

It was oblivion. 

I liked it more than I should have. 

She tore her hands away. 

Khafra stormed into the room. He didn't look happy. 

"Get away from them! Cursed one, leave my house!" he shouted. 

Tea glared at him, but she backed away. I'd had doubts about Khafra's bravery - since he'd seemed reluctant to restrain me I'd presumed he was afraid. But there was something mysterious inside Tea, and it took courage to stand up to it. 

"You cannot stop me," she said. 

And then she was gone. For a moment Khafra watched the doorway she'd swept through, then he looked at me. There was something in his gaze that I didn't like. 

"The child comes," he said. "You must take the child. And then you must leave." 

"You're going to let me leave?" I asked. 

"Yes," he said, thoughtfully. 

"And if Apophis comes?" 

"We will tell him you stole the child away. He will take our people as he has always done. Things will not change," he said. 

"But what of Nephthys?" I asked. 

"If what you have told my sister is true, there may be a way for them to live together in harmony." 

"C'mon. Why the sudden change of heart?" asked O'Neill. 

"My heart is the same. I want what is best for my sister." 

"So do I," I said. 

He looked me in the eyes and I could see he doubted me. 

Even I didn't know if I meant what I said. 

She'd said she hated me.


	7. Chapter 7

Those waiting moments were easier than I'd thought they'd be. I chain smoked. For a beginner it wasn't taking me long to get into the swing of things. Of course, it wouldn't be long until I ran out of cigarettes. Then I'd have to think of something else to take my mind off of everything. 

My fingers fidgeted, rolling the cigarette; my nervousness showed more in my fingers than it did anywhere else. 

Merwen's labour was short. It must have been because of the Goa'uld. I wondered what Daniel was thinking. He'd been there with his Sha're when she bore the first Harseisis child. He'd known that Sha're would turn evil again. I, on the other hand, had a far better relationship with the Goa'uld inside Merwen than I did with Merwen. 

After several cigarettes, some women left the bedroom. They talked to each other in hushed tones, their countenances sombre. It looked like the "devil child" had arrived. 

I walked towards the bedroom. 

SG-1 stood ready to take the child and leave, but I had to see what Nephthys had turned into. Was she still the woman I thought I loved? Or had that all been a drug induced fantasy? 

"Merwen?" I whispered, peering round the door. 

I saw a woman cradling the newborn baby, rocking him gently and whispering to him. 

"Dante!" the woman said. 

And I realised that although she looked like Merwen, it was my Nephthys talking. I walked to her side, and looked down at the child. 

"Love," I whispered, "We should leave." 

"Merwen wishes to stay," said Nephthys. 

"If you stay it will be difficult," I said. "You will be the only one of your kind, and I know how that feels, believe me. Apophis might return. And you're new to sharing with the host. And I can't stay. And I still love you." 

She smiled at me. Once more I saw the beautiful woman that I'd allowed myself to be seduced by, but this time something in me shied away from her. I'd talked with the host, and Merwen had been vehemently against sharing. 

"Nephthys, can I talk to Merwen?" I asked. 

"Of course," she said. 

And then there was the dreadful transition. Merwen looked at the child with disgust, and nearly threw him to the ground. I took the child, and cradled his warm softness against my body. 

"You still wish to get rid of the demon within you?" I asked, gently placing the child in the neatly woven basket on the floor. 

"More than anything," she said. 

"If you give me time, I'll find someone else for her to go into." 

"No, no time. I have lived long enough with her foul presence." 

Nephthys reasserted herself. Tears ran down her face. I walked towards her, to comfort her, but I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck. I turned, and saw something in the shadows. Or someone. I heard a gasp from behind me, and turned back to see whatever had stabbed me had stabbed Nephthys too. She clutched the back of her neck, and looked at me in horror. 

For a moment I was I was too shocked to move. The pain had been intense, like something had penetrated deep into my body. I ran my hand over the puncture wound, and was relieved to find there wasn't much blood. 

But if the wound hadn't been meant to kill, what was its purpose? 

Too late, I looked to where the child had been. 

He was gone. 

I rushed over to the curtained windows, and looked out over the shifting sand. I couldn't see anyone. Perhaps it had been a Goa'uld with a cloaking device. That was possible. It wasn't Apophis' way though. Maybe it was a Tok'ra operative? If it was then I hardly had a reason to chase them. If the child was taken to the Tok'ra, and my mess was cleared up, maybe Sarrazan would be allowed back. 

I let go of the curtain, and felt the back of my neck again. It felt numb. I turned to look at Merwen. Nephthys had let her take control again, and she looked extremely tearful. 

She didn't seem any happier when Khafra stepped into the room. 

"My sister," he said, "It will soon be over." 

And then I realised what he'd done. He'd know this attack would happen. He'd made a deal with someone in order to get rid of the Goa'uld in his sister. He'd promised them the Harseisis. Whether I was supposed to be part of the deal too, I didn't know. 

"You will leave now," he said to me, "or you will die." 

Teal'c stepped into the room. The rest of SG-1 was behind him. 

"I'll leave," I said. 

I walked over to Teal'c, and surprised myself by suddenly feeling so dizzy I had to reach out and grab his shoulder to steady myself. I looked at him, worried. 

"Let's get out of here, Teal'c?" I said. 

We walked away from that place as quickly as possible. We went back to the top of the hill, and looked back at the town. 

"Well, that went well," said O'Neill, sarcastically. 

"Oh, it went far worse than you know," said Sarrazan, asserting himself. 

"Sarrazan?" said O'Neill. 

"Look, we have to get to the Stargate. Whoever took the child has to go through the 'gate to get it off the planet." 

I could see that they were increasingly uneasy about everything. I didn't want them to get into any more danger than they had to, and I had no idea what would be on the other side of that Stargate. It had been one thing saying they'd accompany me to this planet, but it was quite another to involve them any further. 

Sarrazan looked back at the city, and something was there. Someone was running towards us. O'Neill took off his sunglasses and squinted at the figure. Then there was another figure. It met the first, and after a moment's discussion they both continued towards us. 

"Incoming," said O'Neill. 

Suddenly I gasped. Pain shot through my back and neck, into my head. Carter and Teal'c stopped me from falling onto the hot sand. 

"I'm okay," I said. 

"You are not okay," said Teal'c. 

"Okay, I'm not okay, oh, it hurts," I said. 

We looked up to see O'Neill and Jackson helping Merwen as she stumbled across the sand. She was accompanied by Tea. 

"It hurts, Dante," cried Merwen. "What is this pain?" 

Sarrazan took me over, fighting against the pain, trying to suppress it. My eyes glowed. Merwen looked even more distraught. Tea looked intrigued. 

"You wished to be rid of your symbiote," said Sarrazan angrily, "You will soon have your wish. Or else you will be dead."


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you mean, dead?" asked Jackson. 

"I mean, Merwen and I have been given what could aptly be described as a symbiote enema. It's a painful way of making the symbiote leave the host. The pain forces the symbiote to leave. Or else the symbiote and the host die together, refusing to separate and thereby having to endure unimaginable agony," said Sarrazan. 

"If Nephthys does not leave Merwen, Merwen will die, and so will Nephthys," said Carter thoughfully. "But if Nephthys leaves without a new host to go into, SHE will die." 

"Right," said Sarrazan. 

"I never wanted this to happen!" wailed Merwen. 

"It's a little too late to think about consequences, isn't it? You were so eager to get the symbiote expelled from your body.!" shouted Sarrazan. 

"Hey, calm down," said O'Neill. "We'll find a way. Let's get to the 'gate." 

He turned, about to walk off. Everything was starting to go blurry. I could hear Merwen's breathing, ragged, irregular. Even if we left the planet, I would die unless I could find another host for Sarrazan. And if he left, I wasn't sure how well my body would cope. After all, there was the fact I'd been quite, quite mad before he'd joined with me. And the fact my bones were starting to turn to mush. 

"I need a cigarette," I muttered. 

"Dante? Hold on," said Carter. 

"It's no use," I said. "This is where the story ends." 

"No," said Tea. "There is another way. The demon must take my body instead of Merwen's. And together Dante and I will retrieve the child." 

O'Neill looked at Tea, surprised. He'd always wondered why anyone would volunteer to become a host. The situation was even harder to understand when the volunteer continually referred to the symbiote as a demon. 

"Are you sure?" asked O'Neill. 

"I have seen it," said Tea. 

"Don't suppose you know what we do AFTER you get a snake in your head?" asked O'Neill. 

"You need do nothing but wait," she said. 

O'Neill shrugged. Merwen was looking fainter by the second. She was clearly in a lot of pain. For some reason she was losing the fight quicker than I was. I suppose she HAD just had a baby. 

"What do I do?" asked Tea. 

"Lie down next to her. And open your mouth," I said. 

Tea did it. Nephthys left Merwen, and shot into Tea. Tea's eyes closed. Both women lay there, as if they were dead. Then Tea's eyes glowed. 

"It is time," she said. 

"Sam, Daniel, can you take Merwen back to the village? I think she'll be safest at home. Khafra won't hurt her any more," I said. 

"Right," said Daniel. 

They gathered Merwen up and carried her back down the hill. 

"Now what?" asked O'Neill. 

"Now we go to meet our destinies," said Tea. 

Sarrazan used all his powers to suppress the pain, and with Tea at my side we made it to the Stargate. Just as we were approaching we saw it activate. Briefly we saw the kidnapper as he turned off his invisibility device to go through the 'gate. 

"Let's do this thing," said O'Neill, readying his gun. 

As all my doubts and fears rushed to the surface, I realised this was probably going to be the last trip I made through the Stargate. Sarrazan and I had made the decision that we weren't going to abandon each other. It was likely I wouldn't survive without a symbiote, and he definitely wouldn't survive without a host. We were stuck with each other, until death do us part. 

"I think we have to do this alone," I said. "We don't know what's the other side of that 'gate. I won't have your deaths added to my list of stupid mistakes." 

I felt Tea's touch on my arm. She was shaking, gently, as if some kind of power was running through her body. Perhaps shaking isn't the right word. Perhaps it was more like vibrating. I don't know. 

"You will die for the child," said Teal'c. 

"Hey, we don't know that for sure," said O'Neill. 

I'd spent enough time around Teal'c to think that O'Neill might have misunderstood what he meant. It was likely that I'd die, although since I'd already died a lot and I was currently alive that needn't be the end. What Teal'c might have been saying was that I was ready to die, in a Buffy saving the world sense of the word. 

"I will die," I said to Teal'c. "Jack, can I have a couple of grenades?" 

O'Neill looked at me, and I think in that moment he saw something in me he identified with. He might have seen glimpses of it before, like when I'd attacked that evil doctor in the hospital, but this time I was calm. Some might have called it suicidal, but I hardly think that that description applies when you have an aim of some sort in mind. O'Neill looked at me and saw someone who'd blow up a planet in order to stop an evil Goa'uld and seal the Stargate. We had a moment of common understanding. 

"Sure," he said, fumbling in his backpack. 

He handed me two grenades. I took them gingerly. I'd never handled a live grenade before. Come to think of it, I'd never handled any kind of grenade! 

"If I don't see you again, well, you know," I said. 

I'd never been great at goodbyes. I don't know if everyone has this problem, or whether it's just because I'm British. 

"I'll try and send the boy through with Tea. If you can get Tea to this planet," I said, taking out a piece of paper with the co-ordinates for Seth's planet on it, "they can go there. They should be safe." 

O'Neill took the paper, and carefully put it into his pocket. "Sure, Dante, no problem," he said. 

"Teal'c, this is no ordinary child. I'd like you to be the godfather, if that's okay. Make sure his mind isn't too messed up," I said. 

"I would be honoured, Dante," said Teal'c. 

I suddenly became conscious of the shimmering Stargate. The person had had a head start on the other side, and any moment the wormhole might disconnect. Then all these goodbyes would have been for nothing. I did a rather pathetic sort of goodbye wave, and started off towards the 'gate. Tea and I climbed the steps, and paused before we stepped through. 

"Ready?" I asked. 

"Yes," she said.


	9. Chapter 9

The other side was pretty similar to the planet we'd just left, apart from the fact there was a rather smart Goa'uld ship waiting not far from the 'gate. 

"Dante," said Tea. "The child will be safe." 

I looked at her strange misty eyes, and wondered. She hadn't said I would be safe. I'd never really believed there were people who could tell what the future would be, apart from sort of believing that prophecies might come to pass. But I'd kind of assumed that predictions would always be so vague that they could mean almost anything. So was she saying I wouldn't survive? Or was she just omitting that part of what she was seeing? 

We walked towards the ship. Between the Stargate and the ship we could see figures. I was willing to bet it was the strange kidnapper. I suddenly had the urge to do two things, but it wasn't possible to do them both at once. Urge number one was activate the Setesh helmet; urge number two was light up another cigarette. 

I went for the helmet. 

We were within about a hundred metres of the people when I realised we were surrounded. Troops had closed in behind us. We were cut off from the Stargate. 

One of the figures WAS the kidnapper. The others consisted of a Goa'uld I didn't recognise, and a bunch of guards of indeterminate origin. The Harseisis was there too, still in his basket. 

"Seth?" said the Goa'uld. 

She wasn't bad looking. What am I saying? She looked good. She had an English accent, which was interesting, and long brown/blonde permed type hair that flowed over her shoulders. 

"Who are you?" I said. 

I was trying to be tough. Then the pain hit me again. Sarrazan was getting tired. There was only so long he could hold on before the inevitable happened. 

"It worked," she said, watching my discomfort with obvious pleasure. "I have waited long to get my revenge, brother." 

There was only one person she could be. The body had thrown me for a moment. I wasn't expecting to see her in, well, she was normally a he. It was Osiris. I was doomed. 

Last time I'd seen Osiris I'd been responsible for getting him separated from his host and put in a canopic jar for all eternity. Some silly person had let him out, which was bad news for me. And in all likelihood it was going to be bad news for many other people, too. 

I deactivated the helmet. 

"Can we get this over with?" I said. 

"Why? Does it hurt?" she asked, taunting me. 

"What do you think? Now let me have the child." 

"Or else?" she asked. "You are surrounded, brother. I will watch you die in agony." 

"I don't think so," I said. "If you don't give me the child I'll use this," I said, waving the hand grenade. 

Osiris recognised it. It must have been his host that knew, since the Goa'uld wouldn't know a hand grenade from an amusing shaped pineapple. 

"You will kill yourself," she said. 

"Ah, but I don't care anymore. I'm going to die anyway, you saw to that. Besides, I'll make you a deal. Let Nephthys take the child, and you can keep me." 

She looked me up and down, as if she was sizing up a slave she was considering buying. It was a look that sent a shiver up my spine. 

"I think I would enjoy that," she said. "Your appearance reminds my host of someone she once knew. It would be amusing to goad her. And besides, I once had many pleasurable hours with your wife. Now I can see why your wife was so willing to abandon you. This new body has so many possibilities, don't you think?" 

Tea stood unmoving beside me. I half expected Nephthys to say something, but she remained silent. 

"The child," I said. 

Osiris thought about it, but it didn't take long to reach a decision. 

"Give her the child," she said. 

"But." the kidnapper said, obviously annoyed that his hard work was for nothing. 

"The child!" shouted Osiris. 

And so Tea was able to cradle the child in her arms, keeping his tiny body warm and safe, at least for the moment. Tiny children are the easiest to keep safe. There would be problems as he grew older. But Tea would look after him. SG-1 would make sure he was okay. 

"Go," I said. 

And she did. She kissed me gently on the cheek, and somehow I knew it was Nephthys and not Tea. She ran, with a beautiful flowing gait that reminded me wild horses galloping along sandy beaches. And then she was gone. 

The child was safe. It was time to do something brave. I could still activate the grenade and send Osiris to hell where he belonged. It wasn't too late. But then Sarrazan gave in. He couldn't stop the pain anymore. Osiris saw my sudden change in demeanour and lunged forward to knock the grenade from my hand. 

It looked like I'd failed to blow myself up. Stiil, we'd accomplished what we set out to do - we'd saved the child. We'd cleared up the mess we'd made. I'd met the woman I'd thought I'd loved and found that it hadn't all been drug induced. Things hadn't gone so badly. 

Sarrazan took over my body. He screamed. It was a horrible scream. I collapsed onto my knees, and hugged my head with my hands, trying to squash where it hurt, trying to stop the pain. 

"There is only one way to stop the pain," said Osiris. "Leave the host. I will give you rest, Seth. I will give you blessed sleep." 

Sarrazan and I communicated with each other in the way that only hosts and symbiotes can. If we were going to die anyway, we could split up and see if we survived apart. It would be strange to be without him. I didn't want to be alone. I'd had that plan about letting him make all the decisions, and only using my body to do lazy things like reading or blowing smoke rings. I couldn't blow smoke rings yet, but I thought I'd thought I'd have plenty of time to learn if things had worked out okay. 

Sarrazan left my body. There was a sudden sense of extreme loneliness. I was truly alone. Then I was struck by all the little aches and pains and niggles enveloping my body. The extreme pain of the Goa'uld enema had passed, but there was plenty of room for improvement. 

I gathered my strength, and looked up at Osiris, pushing my hair out of my eyes. She grabbed my chin, and looked at my face closely. She was holding me so hard it hurt. 

"You will do," she said. 

She ran her fingers through my hair before grabbing it and pulling me to my feet. I didn't know what to say. I was bewildered. Roughly, she kissed me, probing the inside of my mouth with her tongue. 

"I think this will be fun," she said. 

She let go of my hair and I collapsed back down to the ground. 

"Find the traitor Seth and make sure he will not bother us again," she said to her Jaffa, turning to go back to the ship. "And bring the human," she added, as almost as an afterthought.


	10. Chapter 10

Transport rings took me into the ship. I was pulled along the corridors by two of her Jaffa, in their boots that clanged so strangely as they hit the ground. They weren't overly brutal towards me, and the room that they took me to was surprisingly comfortable. In some ways I'd have been more comfortable if I'd been chained to a wall somewhere. A cosy room suggested hidden dangers. 

Ghostly apparitions haunted my dreams. They tempted me with promises of peace, and drifted away leaving me emptier than ever. It was the first time in over a year I'd been alone in my own body, and dreaming wasn't something I'd missed. It was rare that I'd remember having a pleasant dream. Nightmares were my speciality. 

I woke to feel a nail scraping down my stubbly chin. 

"Wha..?" I said, half asleep. 

"Wake up, my little plaything," murmured Osiris. 

Maybe Sarrazan had had problems with the whole man/woman thing, but I'd only ever know this woman as a, well, woman. And what she was trying to do to me was definitely something only a woman could do. 

Breathing softly on my face she whispered, "You must be confused. But don't worry. You're safe now. Seth has gone." 

Was she trying to convince me that she was my saviour? I wondered what she'd say if she knew I'd been a Tok'ra host. She wouldn't treat me any better, that's for sure. She'd wanted the child. But she'd given it up to get her own back on Seth. Which she thought she'd done when Sarrazan had leapt out of me. So what else did she want? 

As she pulled the Goa'uld armour away from my body, I decided that there was definitely one thing she wanted. It looked like I was irresistible to female Goa'ulds across the galaxy. 

Feebly, I tried to push her away. I was fed up with always being the weak and pathetic one. I wanted to take charge of things. SG-1 had only accompanied me because they felt sorry for me after I'd fallen through the Stargate and shown them I was a complete failure on a stick. 

Unfortunately for me, Osiris was far stronger than I was. With Sarrazan's assistance I might have had a chance, but now I was little more than a pathetic husk. I was sane, but I had little else going for me. It might have been nicer to be insane, thinking about it. 

She gripped my throat with her hand, pinning me to the bed. 

"Please," I gurgled. 

"What, do you want me to end it? Kill you? You don't think I would let you go. Not someone as pretty as you," she smirked. 

She took my left hand, and squeezed my little finger. It crunched in her Goa'uld enhanced grip. Then she prepared to disintegrate the bones in the next finger along. 

"You will learn to obey me," she said. "If you obey me there is no reason you cannot come to enjoy being in my service. Ra had wanted me to reduce you to a mindless slave and take you to him, along with the pitiful remains of Seth, but since Ra is no more I can do with you as I will." 

"Great," I managed to say, trying not to let the pain get to me. 

She was clutching my middle finger tightly, gently twisting it, teasing me. 

"I suppose if I reduced you to a mindless slave I could enjoy you all the same," she said, "But I wouldn't get to see you struggle." 

The last word in her sentence was accompanied by another one of my fingers being wrecked. If my bones hadn't become so fragile recently this wouldn't be so easy for her. As it was, I doubted I'd ever play the piano again. 

She took my right hand and broke three of those fingers too. An infinite dread was creeping over me. I wouldn't put it past her to break every single bone in my body. 

"Now," she said, "I think you will do as I say." 

"No," I said. 

"Yes," she said. 

She took my head in her hands and kissed me, tugging at my lower lip, making me bleed. I tried to bat her away with my broken hands, but it hurt so much, I stopped. I let her kiss me. But when she broke off the kiss, I headbutted her. 

"You are so stubborn!" she cried, exasperated. 

I didn't reply. For a moment I thought she was going to break more bones, but she didn't. 

"Soon you will fight me no more," she said. 

When she came back into view she was wearing a ribbon device. She trained it on my forehead and started to suck the life out of me. All the time she touched my face with her other hand, caressing me as I gasped, her fingers even venturing into my open mouth. I thought about biting her, but I couldn't do it. However many times you went through this, it didn't get any easier. 

With any luck she'd drain me that little bit too long and I'd end up dead. Whatever the result, it felt like I wouldn't feel the pain anymore. I gazed at the glowing jewel in Osiris' palm and felt something creeping up on me. It was what I'd longed for. Unconsciousness, even death. And now I was willing to let it envelop me. 

I didn't owe anyone anything. 

My work was done. 

It was all over.


End file.
